Street-traffic signal



UNIrsi` STA TES PATsN'r forric.-

;rums. coox, or EAST ismneiiwn'rnn, usssaciusmfrs.

` ssamm-Tammo sisma..

T a. all /who'niJ fancy concern: lBe it known that I, JAMES. A. Coon, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth and of the pane, and by artificial light State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Street-Traffic Signals, of which the following is a specification. f I

This inventionj relates chiefl to a signal-J for cdirecting street traflic, inc uding a boxhaving an opening, an electric lamp or other illuminator, 'behind said opening, arranged, to project light rays through the opening,

.and a sign filling said opening, and visible either by reiected light (daylight) vor by transmitted light 4from' the illuminator.

A sign which is suitably stili and rigid and is not affected by rain and snow, includes a pane of clear glass, and means preventing the passare of artificial light through portions of the pane, and exposing other portion for the passage of light rays, the exposed portions having the form of sign characters. One object of the invention is to provide a sig'n for the above-mentioned use, the essential portions of which are a single pane of clear glass, and two coatings of aint spread upon and adherent to the lass, t e nature of said coatings being such t at sign characters are formed on the pane, which are rendered legible by daylight reflected from one side transmitted through the portions of the pane from the opposite side thereof, said pane and coatings constituting an effective sign of `minimum cost.

Another object is to enable a bulls eye to be conveniently associated with the sign.

rlihe invention is embodied in the improvements hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a art of this specification,

igure 1 is a front side view of a portion of a signal embodying the invention, parts of the box being broken away,

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2'-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the si n looking toward its inner side, showing the sign partially completed.

F1 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the sign completed. l

Fig. 5 is a ma ified fragmentary section on line 5-5 of ig. 3.

Fig. 6 isa ma nified fragmentary section on line 6--6 of ig. 4.

-Fig.'7 is a fragmentary perspective view,

Specicption of Letters Patent.

The same reference characters indicate vthe saine parts in all of the figures.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of. the drawings, I show a portion of a box 12, mounted on a pedestal '13 and containing an illuminator l14, of any applied by a brush.

he coating 17l is opaque and light absorbing, the color of said coating being preferably black. The continuity of the coating 17 .is interrupted by sign-forming openings.19, exposing portions of the pane. wThe coating 18 is translucent and light relecting,'and is preferabl composed of any suit le white paint. he coating 18 covers th exposed portions of the pane, so that the sign characters are rendered legible by daylight reflected from one side of the pane, and by artificial light transmitted from the opposite side of the pane, through the translucent coating 18 and the openings in the opaque coating 17 i Patented Apr. 19,1921. Applicatien led September'Zl, 1020. Serial No. 411,698. I

The thickness, composition, and color lof" the coatings 18 are such that the portions which cover the openings 19 reflect daylight at the outer side of the pane, so that the sign characters stand out in strong contrast to the opaque coating 17,'and are suliciently legible bv daylight yfor all practical puroses. he portions of the coating adhering to the portions of the pane which are 'exposed at the sign openings 19, so diffuse artificial light from the illuminator 14, that the sign characters appearing at the front of the pane 'present a uniform tint or color, the incandescent filament of the illuminator 14; being rendered invisible by the It will now be 4seen that my improved sign may be produced by the simple operation of applying two coatings of paint to a single pane of glass, said coatings adhering closely to the glass and preventing access of moisture to the portions of the glass forming the sign characters. The coatings are in effect inseparable from the glass, so that the sign may be handled? applied and removed as a single part. The cost of manufacture is considerably less than that of a sign which necessarily includes a plurality of glass panes and character forming means inter-` posed between the/panes.

'lo render the sign more conspicuous, particularly at night, ll provide a light-transmitting bulls-eye 20, preferably of red glass, contrasting in color with the sign characters. The bulls-eye 2O is'secured in any suitable way at the front side of the pane 16, as by an annular sheet metal frame 21 embracing the margin. of the bulls-eye and provided with ears 22, and elongated strips 23 secured to said ears at 24 and extending across the outer side of the pane, the ends of' the strips being attached, as by rivets 26 to the box 12 at opposite ends of the openinor 15. To permit the unobstructed transmission of articial light through the bulls-eye, I interrupt the-coatings 17 and 18 to provide a supplemental opening 25,'so formed and arranged that it exposes or leaves uncoated the portion of the pane with whichvthe bulls-eye contacts, so that light from the illuininator 14 is not absorbed to any noticeable extent by the pane and passes undiffused through the pane and through the bulls-e e.

The ulls-eyc is attached to the box independently of the pane 16, so that in case of breakage of the pane af new pane may be substituted without removing the bulls-eye from the box.

As shown by Fig. 1 li form and arrange the securing means to avoid interference of the same with the sign-forming openings.

rll`he portion of the box 12 bounding the opening 15 and supporting the pane 16 and the strips 23 is a frame portion 12, displaceably connected as by hinges 28 with the fixed body portion of the box, said frame portion and the pane constituting a door which may be swung outward from the box to facilitate the removal of abroken pane and the substitution of a new one therefor without disturbing or removing the bullseye. rlhe opaque coating 17 prevents the transmission of light through the portions of the pane adjacent to the ,bulls-eye, so that the latter, when illuminated, stands out in strong contrast to the adjacent portions of the pane. v

rllhe pane is detachably secured to the inner side of the frame portions 12l by suitable means, such as displaceable cleats 27, engaged with said frame portion and located within the/box and detachably securing the pane in its operative position.

The coatings 17 and 18 constitute an opaque screen located at one side of the pane and provided with the said sign vforming openings 19 and supplemental opening 25.

lt will be seen that the box and the pane 16 collectively constitute a casing, a portion ,n of the external surface of which is formed by the outer side'o the pane, =so that the sign characters are rendered legible by daylight reflected from the translucent coatingI 18 through the pane, and from the outer side of the latter, and by artificial light from the illuminator within said casing. A simple and effective signal casing, adapted for both day and night use, is therefore provided by assembling two essential elements, viz., a box having an opening, and a transparent pane, the outer side of which forms a part o1 the external surface of the casing, said pane having, as an inseparable part thereof,

"' the coatings 17 and 18.

ll claim:

1. A. signal, adapted for bothday and night use, said signal comprising a box having an opening, a transparent pane secured in and filling the arca of said opening, the box and pane constituting a casing, a portion of the external surface of which is formed bygthe outer side of the pane, an illuminator inclosed by said casing, two sur- `:tace coatings of material adherent to the pane, painted on the inner side of the pane, and contrasting strongly in color with each other, one coating being opaque, light-absorbing, and yinterrupted by sign-forming -'openings 'exposing inner side portions of the pane, and the othercoating being translucent and light-reiecting, and covering the said exposed inner side portions, so that the sign characters are rendered legible, by daylight retlected fromsaid translucent coating through the pane, and from the outer side of the latter, and by artificial light from said illuminator.

2. A Signal substantially as specified by claim 1, each of. said coatings being interrupted to form a supplemental opening, ex#

posing another inner side portion of the pane, and permitting the unobstructed transmission of artificial light through both coatings, and through the pane, the signallcomprising also a light-transmitting bulls-eye colored to contrast With the translucent coating, covering said supplemental opening, and secured at the front side of the pane, said supplemental opening permitting rays of light to pass unobstructedly through' the pane and bulls-eye, the screen preventing the assage of light rays through portions of t e pane adjacent to the bul1s-eye. y

ln testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

JAMES A. 000K. 

